Martin, Indian River counties renew objections about Brightline

By: Jeff Ostrowski,  Palm Beach Post

Renewing their objections to Brightline’s proposed high-speed rail service from West Palm Beach to Orlando, officials in the Treasure Coast are demanding another look at how the trains would affect their region.

Brightline dismissed the call for another impact assessment, which could further delay the much-anticipated Orlando leg, as “fear mongering.”

In a July 26 letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, county attorneys from Martin and Indian River counties said a 2015 regulatory review “has become stale and aged through the passage of time and changes in circumstances.”

The letter, also signed by Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida, notes that two companies involved in the operation of Brightline changed hands this year. Japanese giant SoftBank bought Fortress Investment Group, the owner of the rail service, and Grupo Mexico snapped up the Florida East Coast railroad tracks on which the train operates…